The present invention relates generally to a computerized system for facilitating the purchase of a product from a seller and the sale of the product to a buyer through an intermediary, and more particularly to the processing of requests for quotations for goods and/or services from buyers and for the linking of the buyers to sellers through an intermediary broker utilizing a centralized computer in communication with a communications network such as the Internet.
Buyers in need of goods, particularly in the dairy product field, often spend considerable time locating an appropriate seller or vendor for the product which they require, and commonly utilize a intermediary broker to eliminate the need for the buyer to locate, purchase, and arrange for the transport of the goods. Similarly, vendors in the dairy product field must find buyers for their products quickly, as dairy products are a perishable goods. Rather than locating individual buyers, vendors utilize the same intermediary brokers as the buyers, thereby facilitating the exchange of the goods.
Traditionally, an intermediary broker functions as a central clearing house for the goods in which they specialize. The broker establishes contact with a wide range of vendors, purchasing goods at a “buy price” to establish a suitable “supply.” The broker next identifies suitable buyers in need of the goods which the broker has purchased, and arranges for the sale and transport to the of the goods to the buyer at a premium “sale price,” resulting in a small profit to the broker on each transaction, a portion of which is paid to the broker's agent in the form of a commission. Ideally, the broker never assumes actual possession of the goods, and rather, is able to arrange for the sale and transport of the goods within a very short period of time, such that the goods are delivered directly from the seller to the buyer, without an intermediate stop at the buyer's storage facility.
Traditionally, the operation of the intermediary broker is carried out over the telephone, with agents of the broker contacting sellers to locate supplies of goods and to purchase goods, and contacting buyers to identify the need for particular goods and to close sales. Furthermore, agents of the brokers may receive unsolicited calls from buyers in need of a particular good, or from sellers who find themselves with a surplus of goods which must be sold in a short period of time.
Conventional general purpose computers utilized by brokers and their agents for maintaining a record of buyers and sellers may provide limited access to a network of computers (e.g., LAN) or to the Internet. However, traditional product brokerage systems generally do not integrate the Internet into the associated brokerage software so as to provide an integrated framework through which the buyers, sellers, and brokers may communicate and conduct business via the general purpose computer. Therefore, it is desirable to develop a traded goods brokerage system which integrates local or global computer networks such as the Internet into the brokerage software to provide an integrated system for tracking buyers, sellers, haulers, and products.
In the dairy product field, it is not uncommon to find a surplus of goods in one region of the country (or world) such as a rural or primarily agricultural region, and a demand in another region of the country, such as an urban or densely populated area. The agents of the intermediary broker must be continually made aware of the fluctuations in regional supply and demand for the goods, limitations on transportation distances and time requirements, as well as fluctuations in regional prices. As with any profit-driven business, agents of the intermediary broker desire to purchase the goods at a lower prices, and sell the goods at a premium price, factoring in the cost of transportation from the seller to the buyer.
Accordingly, for an agent of the intermediary broker to complete a transaction, the agent requires access to a large amount of accurate and up-to-date information detailing the current market conditions, buyer information, and seller information. Such information is traditionally stored in a central computer database at the intermediary broker, requiring manual entry of information as it becomes available to the agents.
Therefore, it is desirable to develop a brokerage system that integrates local or global computer networks such as the Internet into the system software to provide a more efficient and accurate system than is currently available by facilitating access to, and acquisition of, the most current and up-to-date information available pertaining to product pricing, availability and transportation. The present invention is an improvement to the traditional computerized system for use by intermediary brokers, providing a plurality of user interfaces for accessing filtered information and for exchanging information pertaining the purchase, sale, and transportation of goods, such as dairy products, over the Internet between the buyers, sellers, and agents of the intermediary broker.
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention as well as presently preferred embodiments thereof will become more apparent from the reading of the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings.